1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to computer game systems and, more particularly, to a computer game system for use on a network, with software playing objects which persist between instantiations of a game and/or from one game to another.
2. Description of Related Art
A. Playing Objects
1. Specific to Game, Multiple Sessions
Many different kinds of games today are played using playing objects of one kind or another. In many cases, these playing objects are specific to the game being played. For example, the game of Monopoly.RTM. (Milton Bradley) is played using playing objects such as player tokens, "Chance" and "opportunity" cards, property cards, houses and hotels. These playing objects are usable only in the game of Monopoly (including various versions thereof). Other games are available which take off from the theme of the original Monopoly game, but such games typically provide their own playing objects which may or may not look and operate in the same way as the original Monopoly game playing objects. The playing objects used in a particular session or instantiation of the game of monopoly are typically reused in the next session or instantiation of the game, and are therefore considered herein to "persist" from one instantiation or session to the next.
2. Multiple-Game Objects
Many games do exist which use a certain set of playing objects which persist from instantiation to instantiation of the game, and also are usable in different games. Card games, using an ordinary 52-card deck, are the most common examples of these kinds of games. The same playing objects, namely the cards, are reused in different sessions of a given game, as well as in different games. Another example involves the set of games Go, Gomoku and Othello, all of which can be played using a single set of tiles.
3. Expansion Objects Separate From Game
Some games, whose playing objects are game-specific, can be played using playing objects that were not provided with the original game product. For example, the game "Cosmic Encounter" by Mayfair Games is sold with a set of cards for use in the game. The publisher also sells several expansion sets of cards, which can also be used in the same game. A number of other card games and board games exist which include a set of playing objects sold with the product, but then have additional card sets created for them.
4. Look And Feel
In some cases, when a particular playing object is usable in more than one game, the same playing object is used within all games. For example, a physical tile used in Go is the same as a tile used in a game of Othello. Thus, if a physical tile is considered to have any look or feel, it remains unchanged.
In other cases, the rules of a game give a different look and feel or value to an identical playing object. For example, an ace might be "high" in one card game and "low" in another card game.
5. Object With Value Outside Game
The game of "Magic: The Gathering", (published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., Renton, Wash.), is a game in which players battle each other using decks of cards which they can own and bring to a match. These playing cards can have a value outside of the game, for a number of reasons, including the following reasons. First, they have art work and fantasy text which render them collectible. Second, each user makes up his or her own deck for use in a particular session of the game, and can select cards which give the player a perceived advantage. Third, the publisher may publish fewer numbers of certain cards. As a result of the intrinsic value of Magic playing cards outside of the game, these cards are often wagered in games and/or sold or traded to other players outside of the game playing setting.
6. Modification Of Character During Game
A fantasy role-playing game is "Dungeons & Dragons", by TSR. At the beginning of a game session, each player creates a character to role play having various attributes such as strength, speed, weapons, and so on. The characters are affected by events that take place during the game session; for example, they can gain wealth by picking up a treasure.
B. Computer Games
Many card games and board games are also available as computer games. For example, game software can be found for the games of chess, checkers, poker, Monopoly, and so on. Other computer games do use game-specific playing objects which persist from session to session of the game. For example, in the game "John Madden Football", published by Electronic Arts, San Mateo, Calif., the data about individual football players is provided on a disk. This data persists through different sessions of the game, and can even change over time due to game play. For example, if a football player is injured in one session of the game, that injury affects the conduct of the player in subsequent sessions. The data sold with one version of the game can usually be used in earlier versions of the same game (i.e., data is backward compatible).
C. Network Games
With the advent of networking and the Internet, games played via a computer network have become available.
One class of such games is "Multi-User Dungeon", also known as MUDs. MUDs are typically text-based fantasy role-playing games, similar to Dungeons & Dragons. Players for the most part interact with each other, but can also interact with a virtual environment. A character and its attributes persist from session to session of the game, during one instantiation of the game. For example, a player may play a MUD for an hour, gaining certain experience or weapons for the player's character. The player may then log out for a while and resume the next day in the same instantiation of the same MUD game. In some cases, the character may still have its experience and weapons gained during the player's prior session. Objects can be transferred from one player to another during game play. For example, one player can have his or her character drop a weapon that the character acquired previously in the same instantiation of the game, and another character can later find it and pick it up.
Interactive games over a network may have software for much of the graphics stored on a user's local memory, while communications over the network are used for interaction with a central server or other user for the remaining graphics, such as an opposing player. A number of different modes of communication can be used. For instance, currently Internet games use E-mail, Telnet (text based) and Internet Relay Chat.